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“And the LORD spoke unto Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations: And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean; And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses” (Lev 10:8-11).
The effect of wine is to excite nature, and all natural excitement hinders that calm, well-balanced condition of soul which is essential to the proper discharge of the priestly office (a position all Christians have in Christ - 1Pe 2:5, 9; Rev 1:6; 5:10; 20:6—NC). So far from using any means to excite nature, we should treat it as a thing having no existence. Thus only shall we be in a moral condition to serve in the sanctuary, to form a dispassionate judgement (discernment void of sensuality—NC) between clean and unclean, and to expound and communicate the mind of God. It devolves upon each one to judge for oneself what, in his special case, would act as “wine or strong drink.”
The things which excite mere nature are manifold indeed—wealth, ambition, politics, the varied objects or emulation around us in the world (godly spirituality is antithetic to sensuality, thus minimizing the latter as often as possible is key to heightening the former—NC). All these things act with exciting power upon nature (the senses, which often inordinately effect emotions, thus interfering with spiritual discernment—NC), and entirely unfit us for every department of priestly service. If the heart be swollen with feelings of pride, covetousness, or emulation, it is utterly impossible that the pure air of the sanctuary can be enjoined, or the sacred functions of priestly ministry be discharged.
Men speak of the versatility of genius, or a capacity to turn quickly from one thing to another; but the most versatile genius that was ever possessed could not enable a man to pass from an unhallowed arena of literary, commercial or political competition, into the holy retirement of the sanctuary of the Divine Presence; nor could it ever adjust the eye that had become dimmed by the influence of such scenes, so as to enable it to discern, with priestly accuracy, the difference “between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean.”
No, God’s priests must keep themselves apart from “wine and strong drink.” Theirs is a path of holy separation and abstraction. They are to be raised far above the influence of earthly joy as well as earthly sorrow. If they have anything to do with “strong drink,” it is only that it may “be poured unto the Lord for a drink-offering in the holy place” (e.g. Num 28:7). In other words, the joy of the Father’s priests is not the joy of the earth, but the joy of heaven—even the joy of the sanctuary. “The joy of the Lord is their strength.”
May the Father, in His infinite grace, ever keep us abiding in the secret retirement of His holy presence, abiding in His love, and feeding upon His Truth. Thus shall we be preserved from “strange fire” and “strong drink”—form false worship of every kind and fleshly excitement in all its forms. Thus, too, shall we be enabled to carry ourselves aright in every department of priestly ministration, and to enjoy all the privileges of our priestly position.
The communion of the believer is like a sensitive plant. It is easily affected by the rude influences of an evil world. It will expand beneath the genial action of the air of heaven, but must firmly shut itself from the chilling atmosphere of time and sense. Let us remember these things, and ever seek to keep close within the sacred precincts of the Divine Presence. There, all is put, safe and happy. “In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him” (Eph 3:12)
—C H Mackintosh (1820-1896)
The effect of wine is to excite nature, and all natural excitement hinders that calm, well-balanced condition of soul which is essential to the proper discharge of the priestly office (a position all Christians have in Christ - 1Pe 2:5, 9; Rev 1:6; 5:10; 20:6—NC). So far from using any means to excite nature, we should treat it as a thing having no existence. Thus only shall we be in a moral condition to serve in the sanctuary, to form a dispassionate judgement (discernment void of sensuality—NC) between clean and unclean, and to expound and communicate the mind of God. It devolves upon each one to judge for oneself what, in his special case, would act as “wine or strong drink.”
The things which excite mere nature are manifold indeed—wealth, ambition, politics, the varied objects or emulation around us in the world (godly spirituality is antithetic to sensuality, thus minimizing the latter as often as possible is key to heightening the former—NC). All these things act with exciting power upon nature (the senses, which often inordinately effect emotions, thus interfering with spiritual discernment—NC), and entirely unfit us for every department of priestly service. If the heart be swollen with feelings of pride, covetousness, or emulation, it is utterly impossible that the pure air of the sanctuary can be enjoined, or the sacred functions of priestly ministry be discharged.
Men speak of the versatility of genius, or a capacity to turn quickly from one thing to another; but the most versatile genius that was ever possessed could not enable a man to pass from an unhallowed arena of literary, commercial or political competition, into the holy retirement of the sanctuary of the Divine Presence; nor could it ever adjust the eye that had become dimmed by the influence of such scenes, so as to enable it to discern, with priestly accuracy, the difference “between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean.”
No, God’s priests must keep themselves apart from “wine and strong drink.” Theirs is a path of holy separation and abstraction. They are to be raised far above the influence of earthly joy as well as earthly sorrow. If they have anything to do with “strong drink,” it is only that it may “be poured unto the Lord for a drink-offering in the holy place” (e.g. Num 28:7). In other words, the joy of the Father’s priests is not the joy of the earth, but the joy of heaven—even the joy of the sanctuary. “The joy of the Lord is their strength.”
May the Father, in His infinite grace, ever keep us abiding in the secret retirement of His holy presence, abiding in His love, and feeding upon His Truth. Thus shall we be preserved from “strange fire” and “strong drink”—form false worship of every kind and fleshly excitement in all its forms. Thus, too, shall we be enabled to carry ourselves aright in every department of priestly ministration, and to enjoy all the privileges of our priestly position.
The communion of the believer is like a sensitive plant. It is easily affected by the rude influences of an evil world. It will expand beneath the genial action of the air of heaven, but must firmly shut itself from the chilling atmosphere of time and sense. Let us remember these things, and ever seek to keep close within the sacred precincts of the Divine Presence. There, all is put, safe and happy. “In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him” (Eph 3:12)
—C H Mackintosh (1820-1896)
